Spanky Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 Does anyone know of a good website with Information on projector mounting/Screen setups, heights, That sort of thing? I'm looking at using a Screenplay 4805 Projector with a 16:9 screen of 100 inches in size, Now I know the projector has to be approx 13 - 14 feet away from the screen, I guess what sort of height do I have to set the screen up for I will have a standard 8 foot ceiling height (or there abouts), SO is there a golden rule to how far up or down from the ceiling the screen has to be mounted? Or is it just what you find suits your watching requirements? I have spoken to a couple of dealers in the town where I live, But they only want to sell me a Plasma screen, I haven't seen a 100" Plasma, Have you? So any help or direction will be appreciated, Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picky Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 Try: http://www.projectorcentral.com/ BTW: Welcome aboard, Spanky! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 Spanky - Also tons of info at www.avsforum.com in the forum. They have an entire section devoted to screens, another to sub-$3500 projectors, etc... The rule of thumb is that the viewer's eyes should be about 1/3 up from the bottom of screen when you have it mounted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfogg Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 ", SO is there a golden rule to how far up or down from the ceiling the screen has to be mounted? Or is it just what you find suits your watching requirements? " Based on watching requirements as well as your projector mounting location. This can be eased somewhat if the projector has a lens shift function. Otherwise the projector will typically be aligned with the top or bottom of the screen depending on if it is tabletop or ceiling mounted. If you can plan on ceiling mounting it, it is much more out of the way in that setup. Shawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Adams Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 DougDrake you 'ol so-n-so....you scared the crap outta me with that rule of thumb height thing. I've been doing some layout drawings of my HT room for things like screen placement, wall treatments, stage/platform, second row seating riser, etc. And when I read your post, I thought, "Oh sh*t. I bet this hoses my plan for the stage/platform and center channel location if I have to move the screen down to achieve this rule of thumb." So I grabbed up a tape measure, established the height of my eyeballs, transferred that info to my drawing and WHEW! I'm right in the rule of thumb ballpark. That was a close one! Don't do that to me! Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 Tom - Just trying to share some of my grey hairs. Actually, I'm surprised you didn't run across that before with all the research you sound like you are doing. I've seen it mentioned many times in various forums at www.avsforum.com. OT, have you seen the news on the new Panny AE700 and Sony HS51 projectors? Great article about them here: http://www.projectorcentral.com/cedia_2004.htm Looks like it's time to rumble!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spanky Posted September 18, 2004 Author Share Posted September 18, 2004 Thanks for the info, That "Golden rule" of which you speak makes a lot of sense, I think I'll stick to that one, One other rule I hear is that the projector should (in an ideal situation)should by inline with the top of the screen, I'm mounting the projector approx 12 - 13 feet back from the screen (as suggested by Screenplays website) So that means my projector will have to come down from the ceiling about 1 foot, it sounds about right to me, What do you think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted September 18, 2004 Share Posted September 18, 2004 Spanky - Each projector has its own mounting parameters, but generally speaking you are right. Specifically, though, some projectors should be 3-5 inches below the top of the screen, because their image projects a bit above the projector. Check the online manual of the projector you are considering for details. Also, there is a great projection calculator at www.projectorcentral.com that will graphically show you all the projection options (distance, screen dimensions, etc...) for virtually every projector made. The link to it is http://www.projectorcentral.com/projection-calculator.cfm Also, I believe InFocus introduced the Screenplay 5000 at CEDIA, which might be something to look at (no pun intended). There is a good article at projectorcentral, also, about 4:3 versus 16:9 formats and how to decide which is right for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spanky Posted September 20, 2004 Author Share Posted September 20, 2004 Thanks for the Info Dougdrake, I have found these Forums and have picked up a lot of usefull info, In fact I think build my own screen on the info I have picked up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Adams Posted September 20, 2004 Share Posted September 20, 2004 Doug - I appreciate you wanting to share some of your grey hairs, but believe me....I'm more than capable of producing my own! As for the screen height info.I guess I have to plead stupid here. I mean, I really havent come across this rule of thumb. Obviously, this points out I havent been asking the right questions or looking in the right places. And yes I saw that initial write up about the new Panasonic over at Projector Central. I mentioned it to the wife and she looked it up on the Panasonic website. We are very interested I this projector and if it lives up to its specs testing, this just might be the projector we go with. Up until now, we had settled on the Sanyo Z2 and were just about ready to order one. Kinda glad we held off. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted September 20, 2004 Share Posted September 20, 2004 Tom - We're on the same page. Earlier in the year I was about to buy a Z2 then moved to Denver area, so held off. The year before I was about to buy the Panny 300, then the 500 and Z2 were announced. Now, the 700 is out so I'm holding off on the Z2. I figure at this rate I won't have to buy a projector for about 20 years! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00n Posted September 20, 2004 Share Posted September 20, 2004 Infocus itself used to have a projector setup applet directly on their website. Here, I just found it. I guess you can download it as well as use it directly from their website. http://www.infocus.com/service/software/projcalc.asp?site_lang=1&site_region=1& Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Adams Posted September 21, 2004 Share Posted September 21, 2004 Doug said: "I figure at this rate I won't have to buy a projector for about 20 years!" LOL....good lord Doug, ain't it the truth. This projector thing is as bad for me as buying a PC. Just about the time I get ready to pull the trigger, I hear or read about something "new" coming out. Sheesh. I think it's like getting into a pool that you know the water is cold. You just gotta close your eyes and jump. Thanks m00n for the link. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spanky Posted September 22, 2004 Author Share Posted September 22, 2004 These projectors are a bit of a nightmare, And then theres all the different ways they hook up and everyone has there own suggestion and what they found looked better. So far I have decided on the InFocus Screenplay 4805, it's a native 16:9 unit (Because it will only be running DVD's) all my TV/Cable and games will be done on a normal CRT Sony Wega screen, I'm still looking for my DVD. But this projector seems to keep coming up trumps the more I read and the more I research on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Adams Posted October 5, 2004 Share Posted October 5, 2004 Hey Doug - My local Klipsch dealer turned me on to the Hitachi PJTX100. Have you looked at that projector? It's MSRP has supposedly dropped $1K. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmiles Posted October 5, 2004 Share Posted October 5, 2004 Maybe I overlooked this in browsing through the replys but I don't recall seeing anything about throw distance. This is the distance the PJ lens can be from the screen. To me this is just as critical as screen placement. In fact this measurement will greatly determine the screen size. I think it was "moon" that suggested you visit the infocus web site. Most companies have a "calculator" program that will figure you screen size, offsets and throw distance based on the desired diagonal. Regards, mm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted October 6, 2004 Share Posted October 6, 2004 Tom - What's the street price on that Hitachi? No formal review at PJ Central but lots of positive user reviews... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Adams Posted October 7, 2004 Share Posted October 7, 2004 Not sure about a street price, but the MSRP is supposedly $2995. The same as the new Pany AE700. Methinks Hitachi dropped their price to compete with the new Pany. If I had to take a shot, I'd say maybe $2400 would be reasonable. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted October 7, 2004 Share Posted October 7, 2004 Tom - Ya think the Hitachi will be a better unit than the AE700? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkot Posted October 7, 2004 Share Posted October 7, 2004 try www.stewart filmscreens.com they have by far the best screens and a great tech section jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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